Groups appeal decision not to halt uranium mining

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Conservationists are challenging a federal court decision that denied their request to halt uranium mining north of the Grand Canyon.

Three conservation groups and two American Indian tribes filed an appeal Monday to the June 17 decision.

Denison Mines Corp. operates a uranium mine 6 miles north of Grand Canyon National Park on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land. Environmentalists sued the BLM last year, alleging Denison's mine plan and environmental analyses are outdated.

They filed for a preliminary injunction earlier this year to stop the mining operation until the lawsuit is heard.

U.S. District Judge David Campbell in Arizona denied the request, saying the groups had not shown they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims.